Incantre Creation Myth
In the time before time, the Empyrean Hall existed in the aether. The Urathear dwelt in the Hall, divided in all but name, bored with all of their might. The twelvefold pantheon resided in their own, well-removed regions of the hall. Each realm perfect in the eyes of the god or goddess that created it. In the center of the Hall lived Uthalion himself, an immense figure of light within a vault of black space. In the distance, there were smaller, ethereal lights that flickered, disappeared, and reappeared elsewhere. Balls of orange and blue flame hurled across the expanse. Yet there was no living soul. Closest to Uthalion dwelt Osdaen, whose sphere was spanned by endless plains of white rock that reflected the light coming from his neighbor. A fog of energy, which some call mana or magicka, hovered above the surface of the rock and permeated the rock. Yet there was no living soul. Next is Lieathe, who lived in a realm of ever-changing rivers of every hue and shade of every color, which she painted with her mind. These streams babbled in a beautiful choir, unlike any ever heard by a mortals' ears. Yet there was no living soul. A single river of the purest blue flowed from there into the home of Nolveda, which was spanned by lush fields, vineyards, and fruit-bearing trees. The light from Uthalion was perfect at this distance for the growth of these plants. Still, there was no living soul. Not all of the deities were completely separated. Sorai, the homemaker, was allowed some of the bounty of Nolveda's harvest to take with her back home. This home would have put any mortal king's castle to shame. There were the grandest of feast halls, the quietest of gardens, and the tallest of towers. Still, there was no living soul. The rolling hills slowly became forest, wild and untamed. This was the home of Ryaus, master of the wood. Various wisps in different forms also inhabited the forest and resided in balance with the plants. Together, it was as a single entity. Still, there was no living soul. The forest ended at the shore of a great ocean, as wide as it was deep. Miciea swam in the depths, rode the waves, and raged in mighty hurricanes and whirlpools. When resting, she sat upon billowy clouds in the expanse above. From shore to shore there was blue above and blue below. Even so, there was no living soul. On the far edge of the ocean were battered plains; this was the home of Jadaos. The sky had a permanent dark, red hue, under which Jadao spent his time running, training, and fighting. The heavenly beings that he fought with were creatures of aether and energy; they did not think. Even so, there was no living soul. Plains gave away to rock and low grass to sand. The vault of Gru'mal was truly a wasteland of wastelands. The light from Uthalion in this region was a large, red ball that left little shade to be found. Where it existed, small bushes and cacti thrived. Boulder elementals* stalked the rugged terrain that was often buffeted with sandstorms. Even so, there was no living soul. At the edge of this barren realm were near-endless mountains. Within, or rather underneath, these mountains was the home of two of the Urathear. The first was Kah'ne, a fierce and cruel spider goddess. Her kingdom was one of damp caves, mushrooms, and crystal structures. She never ventured out to the surface and the light of Uthalion except on rare occasions. Wisps in the shape of smaller spiders did the bidding of their dark queen. As it were, there was no living soul. Further back and down into the cavernous vaults lived Dresnok, god of flame and forge. The elemental fire that flowed through his region could only be contained by the hardest and densest of rock. Fire elementals* aided him in his creation of metallic and crystalline objects during the extensive, unreckoned time. As it were, there was no living soul. Lastly, beyond the mountains lied a shadowy land where the light of Uthalion was only a distant pinprick. It was a frightening, mysterious land known by the other Urathear as the Unwaking Plains. Shapes and forms could be made out, but they seemed to shift and change when they weren't looked at directly. This was the home of Adsel, and all of the other gods and goddesses were happy that it existed at the far edge of the Hall. No mortal alive today would dare enter this realm, but...as it were, there was no living soul. And so it was that Uthalion, god of light, called upon the Urathear to join him in the midst of the Hall and said, "Long have we resided here, separate, no desire beyond us." This was true, but at the same time strangely untrue, and each god knew it. "Come, let us create a land amidst the aether and populate it with all sort of living creatures, into whom we will plant souls." This was unheard of - giving the ability to reason and feel to lesser creatures? Still, the Hall was a lonely and empty place and they came into agreement. Gru'mal laid the foundation of the world, the rock upon which it sat. Miciea brought to it water, Uthalion gave the dark land light, and with those Ryaus planted and raised the seed of natural life. Dresnok created caves through which the heat from his elemental fire could rise to the surface. Within those caves, Kah'ne spread all manner of fungus and creatures of the dark, in which she instilled a natural viciousness. It was Sorai, the compassionate goddess that orchestrated the creation of sentient beings and gave them the blessing of home and family. Nolveda taught the first races how to domesticate all sorts of plant and animal life. (It was not until later that creatures like drow reportedly met Kah'ne and adopted her ways). A deal was struck between Uthalion and Osdaen, that they would share the work of lighting the world, though Osdaen would to a lesser extent. During Uthalion's trip across the sky, Adsel's presence was diminished upon the world, but it waxed when Osdaen made his journey through the expanse. Their creation ready, Lieathe instilled the land with her blessing of beauty, music, art, and love. Finally, there were souls to be found. Incantre was born. *Scholar's note that these elementals were soulless automatons until they too became sentient creatures in the new world. Related Articles *The Urathear Category:Urathear